Contact and socket for the contact



April 11, 1944. w. HURLEMAN 2,346,166

CONTACT AND SOCKET FOR THE CONTACT Filed Aug. 19, 1941 TER HURLEMAN z,- A T TORNE Y5 INVENTOR semblies'.

Patented Apr. 11, 1944 CONTACT AND SbCKET FOR THE CONTACT Walter Hurleman, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Hugh H. Eby, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 19, 1941, Serial No. 407,390

3 Claims.

This invention relates to contacts and sockets for the contacts.

While the art of socket connections and contacts might seem to have been rather thoroughly explored by inventors of the prior art, the trend toward smaller and shorter contact prongs and toward smaller and more compact socket assemblies has revealed fundamental errors of prior constructions which have precluded successful use of such devices in the smaller units and as- Of course in the main, the prior art contacts have not been adapted or adaptable to smaller formations and closer assemblies, but primarily the disadvantages have attached to high and variable contact resistance.

It is among the objects of this invention to improve socketand contact assemblies.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this description:

Fig. 1 represents a plan of the blank from which the contact device is formed.

Fig. 2 represents anend elevation of the contact assembly after the blank of Fig. 1 has been bent and shaped to generally cylindrical form.

Figs. 3 and 4 represent respectively a rear and side elevation of the completed contact device of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 represents an elevation of the contact device of this invention with an inserted fragmentary prong contact in embraced contactmaking relation therein, with the contact device in slightly ei'cpanded gripping engagement therewith.

Figs. 6 and 7 represent sections on Fig. 5 respectively taken on lines 6-6 and l-I of that figure.

Fig. 8 represents a plan of an illustrative socket utilizing the contacts of this invention.

Fig. 9 represents a side elevation of the same, partially broken away, and showing the solderin tails of the assembled contact devices.

Fig. 10 represents a bottom plan of the assem bly of Fig. 9, partially broken away.

Fig. 11 represents a. transverse vertical section through an assembled contact device and the socket of Figs. 8 to 10.

Fig. 12 represents an end elevation of the assembled socket of Figs. 8 to 10.

Fig. 13 represents a longitudinal section through the contact device of this invention with a fragmentary prong contact in elevation in operative assembly therewith.

, In the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in Fig. 1, a blank is provided comprising side edge l3 of the neck l2 merges by a rightangle, illustratively and preferably, into the intersecting primary lower finger l5, having a lower edge surface l6, and the perpendicularly extending free edge 11. The finger l5 tapers outward- 1y, having a wider base in the body portion l9 than at edge I1, and has an upper generally sloping surface I8 merging through an arcuate connecting edge surface 20 with the outwardly fianing lower surface or edge 2| of the upper primary finger 22 extending from a thick or wide base in the body I9 on the same side of the blank as the finger I5. The finger 22 has a free edge 23 preferably aligned with the free edge I! of the lower finger preferably substantially parallel to said longitudinal center line of the soldering tail. The upper edge surface 24 of the finger 22 extends across the blank normal to the said center line terminating in a right angled mergence into the left side edge 25 aligned with'the longer side edge ll of the neck l2. An intermediate or secondary finger 26 extends laterally of .the blank out of the aligned surfaces l4 and 25,'having the convergent respectively upper and lower surfaces 21 and 28 joined by the curved tip 30, as will be clear. Preferably the single finger 26 has its nonparallel edges 21 and 28 in substantial parallelism with the edges 2| and N3 of the respective opposite primary fingers l5 and 22. The fingers l5 and 22 are staggered relative to finger 26 and the width 01 the base of the triangular finger 25 where it joins the body l9 at the left side edges l4 and 25, is substantially'the same as the distance between adjacent ends of the edges I1 and 23 ofthe first mentioned fingers.

The contact blank of Fig. l is preferably shaped into the generally cylindrical form shown in the other figures in any desired mannenand it will be observed that the neck I2" ispreferably although not essentially bent angularly so as to oilset the soldering tail II! from the cylindrical body 3| of the completed contact. The lower edge 16 of the lower primary finger I5 forms the bottom edge surface of the cylindrical contact while the edge surface 24 of the upper finger forms the upper edge Of the cylinder 3|. The

free edge II will be brought into juxtaposition to the edge l4 of the neck as free edge 23 of finger 221s brought intosimilar. juxtaposition to the edge surface 25. These respective meeting edge surfaces Just recited may be parallel to or angu- 'larly divergent from the said center line. The

finger 23 will be bent to substantially fill the space between fingers 22 and IS with the respective adjacent edge surfaces in relative juxtaposition and initially in substantial abutment. Although for clarity the adjacent edge surfaces are indicated in the drawing as being slightly spaced, yet in actual practice it is to be understood that there may be substantial contact between the edges of contiguous surfaces in the completed substantially cylindrical barrel 3| prior to resilient distortion by prong 41 when the latter is inserted. It will also be clearthat the line or groove formed by the meeting edge surfaces will establish in the barrel 3| a longitudinally continuous narrow slot 32 which at the ends comprises aligned slits 23 and 39 parallel to said center line and to the axis of the barrel, in the purely illustrative disclosure, connected by a. curved semi-helical peripherally extending reentrant portion 33. x

It is a feature of the completed contact device that a straight line extendingon th blank from edge I! or 23 to the apex 30 of finger 26, although slightly inclined, helically, relative to the longitudinal axis of the barrel, will extend for a peripheral extent of appreciably greater than 360". This is important in the functioning of the device and in its construction and may be extended as far as 630 in practice with highly efficient functioning. In actual practice at the present time the preferred degree of overlapping is such as to lie between 540 and 630, although I obviously this is purely illustrative and other angular overlapping relations may exist if desired.

The contact device illustrated and described is of general utility and is susceptible to use in any type of socket device, whether supported from laminated sheets of insulated material or from molded devices or otherwise, and such uses are contemplated. Purely for purposes of illustration and not in a limitative sense, the device finds a high degree of utility in the socket illustrated in Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive. This illustrative socket device finds great utility in association with batteries for hearing aids and the like and may be quite small if desired, with a plurality of contact devices in very close adjacency to each other in v a narrow group or series.

The socket comprises a base 34 having an upper face 35 in which there is a plurality of pron receiving contact apertures 36. As the apertures are all the same and the contacts are all the same, it will be understood that the description applied to one applies equally well to the others. The block or socket 34 may have the platform extensions 31 in a plane common with the face 35 in the center, and on the side walls 38 toward the end may have the anchoring protuberances 40 as as shown. It will be understood that the latter may be imbedded in various plastic materials to hold the sockets in an anchored position in ultimate use if this should be preferred. Each prongreceiving hole 36 opens into an enlarged contact device-receiving aperture or bore 4|, havingan upper shoulder 42 against which the upper edge surface 24 of the contact device is arranged to abut when the latter is inserted axially through the bottom opening to be described. The enlarged apertures or bores 4i separated from each other by webs of base material all communicate with a lower longitudinal slot 43 extending the full length of the socket, and the latter is provided with the lateral recesses 44 disposed in staggered relation on opposite sides of adjacent contact apertures. Each recess 44 is of the proper width to receive the upper end of the soldering tail In, in its offset relationship, so that when the appropriate number of contact devices has been inserted axially from the bottom with the tails in alternate left and right recess setting, or disposition, the lateral side edges of the slot 43 will be substantially flush for the full length because the thickness of the sheet metal forming the offset soldering tail dis posed in each respective recess is just about that required to substantially fill the recess. The slot 43 is preferably provided with a pair of molded substantially cylindrical studs 45 normal to but presenting away from the face 35, forming anchors for the apertured fibre sheet 46 arranged to be forced into the slot 43 and to be guided upon studs 45 and held immovable by frictional engagement.

The truly minute size attainable with the contact device of the instant invention will be evident when it is realized that the socket shown in Fig. 8, in one purely illustrative manifestation may be of the order of of an inch in length, and the inside diameter of the contact cylinder 3| is such as to have a sliding gripping highly efflcient contact with a contact prong 41 smaller than of an inch in diameter. Utilizing the same principle, there is no reason why still smaller contacts cannot be constructed if these should ever be desired nor why much more eflicient larger contacts may not be constructed.

It will be observed that with a suitable contact prong even including some that are oversize, forced axially into the contact device, the resilience of the fingers may be utilized through the full complete peripheral extent to establish complete efficient contact relation with a very minimum of contact resistance, and with practically the entire area of the prong disposed between the upper and lower edge surfaces '24 and IS in use for electrical contact. Practically the only area not so treated may be that portion in radial alignment with the groove 32 formed by the juxtaposed edge surfaces. As has been indicated, Fig. 5 is relatively exaggerated, and it will be clear that diminution in electrical contacting area by the slit or slot will be very minute. 0n the other hand, it is to be observed that the extreme resilience of the several fingers enables the contact device to receive and establish complete electrical contact with oversized prongs.

A feature of great importance lies in the utilization of the contact device as a lock for an inserted prong having a'peripheral groove spaced from the entering end thereof. Such groove Elli enables the insertion up to the point where the groove passes an indentation 48 forming a detent when resiliently disposed in groove 60. This is indicated in Fig. 13.

I claim as my invention:

1. A socket device comprising a unitary molded body having side walls and an upper substantially planar face generally cruciform in profile,

an aperture disposed in the upper face of the body to receive a contact.

29 A socket device comprising a unitary molded body having side walls and an upper substantially planar face generally cruciform in profile,

with lateral extensions of the profile forming protuberance on said side walls of such body adjacent to said upper face, said side walls each having a pair of supplemental integral protuberances spaced from said upper face and spaced laterally from each other by the length of said lateral extensions and of such size in plan substantially to fill in the corners of the cruciform profile to form a rectangular outline so as to facilitate molding, the body being arranged for partial immersion in an initially. plastic mass with the pair of supplemental protuberances on each side wall surrounded on'all surfaces by such plastic to anchor the body therein, the body having an aperture disposed in the upperface to receive a contact. A

3. A socket connector comprising a unitary elongated molded body having an upper plane face and a substantially parallel lower face, an aperture being formed in the body comprising at least three relatively small prong-receivingapertures in the upper face aligned longitudinally of the body and each communicating with a relatively enlarged cylindrical female contact recess or bore in the body terminating at one end in an annular shoulder adjacent to but spaced inwardly from the upper face of the body, said body having a longitudinal slotformed in the lower surface of this body in communication with all of the contact bores, the lateral walls of the longitudinal slot being provided with at least three shallow lateral recesses in transverse alignment with the respective bores but being staggered on opposite lateral walls so that the recesses of adjacent bores are on opposite walls of the slot, at least three female contacts each comprising a substantial cylinder and an integral soldering tail having a substantial flat portion being disposed in the respective bores of such diameter a to be stopped by said shoulder in one direction and disposed in alternate or stag gered relation so that the respective flat portions of the tails are disposed in the respective shallow recesses in the slot to substantially fill the recesses and form an eflective slot of substantially uniform parallel side walls, and a substantially rectangular separate strip of material forced frictionally into said effective slot to hold the soldering tails and to form a stop against the cylindrical portions in the other direction.

WALTER HURLEMAN. 

